Bloodthirst of Faker
by Aidan J S Cross
Summary: In the sequel to "Faker's Return", Faker invades a small fishing village and murders two fishermen, threatening to continue his crimes unless he is challenged by the real He-Man, upon whom he is determined to wreak revenge.


BLOODTHIRST OF FAKER  
By Aidan Cross  
March 1999 

Faker made his way along the dusty country road, his bag slung over his blue shoulder. He cast his eye into the distance, where the red sun of Eternia slowly set before the sea. Underneath the evening sky were the silhouettes of buildings- the building which made up the fishing village of Marxall.  
Faker sat down on the dry grass, and pulled out several items from his bag. The first were several sticks of wood, which he piled together on the ground. The second was a match, which he use to set the wood alight to keep himself warm. And the third thing he pulled out was the severed, blood-stained arm of his latest victim.   
He held the severed limb firmly in both hands. Soon….. soon he would be holding someone else's arm in this way. Someone whom he had longed to destroy ever since he was created, three years ago….. He-Man.   
Faker recalled the day he was first created, by Skeletor, the evil Lord of Destruction, as an evil version of Eternia's hero, the mighty He-Man. But after a brief battle with He-Man, he had been thrown down the deep abyss of Castle Grayskull. Two years later, he had finally managed to emerge from the abyss, and had got into Grayskull, tricking The Sorceress before seriously injuring her and holding her captive. But then he had found she was leading him on all along, and subsequently, He-Man had beaten him again, before the Sorceress had turned his skin blue, preventing him from being able to impersonate He-Man ever again. The effects of the spell had later caused his hair to turn from blond to a bright red, making him look even less like He-Man.   
And since then, for a whole year he had patrolled Eternia alone, with no home, no friends and no family. He had trained and trained to make himself even stronger, so that he would be strong enough to someday beat the real He-Man. And he had passed unnoticed through most places….. anyone who saw him would quickly meet their end. He had murdered so many people through the past year that he had lost count. At times he had even feasted on their flesh, since he had little money to buy food. His sole aim, this whole time, was to defeat He-Man….. wreak his long-awaited revenge upon him….. and then take over Eternia for himself.   
He sat alone by his fire for several hours, staring into the distance at the silhouetted village of Marxall- the place where he intended to strike. He-Man probably thought he was gone for good, having been unseen for a whole year….. but Faker would soon prove him wrong. If he killed someone in Marxall, and someone witnessed a 'blue He-Man' it would quickly attract the attention of the real He-Man. And Faker would lead him to a final showdown….. which would cause the downfall of the supposed 'mightiest man in the universe'.   
As the sun disappeared behind the great ocean of Eternia, and the sky grew darker, and the fire died down….. Faker knew his time to strike had arrived. From his bag, he pulled out a long black hooded robe, which he wore to disguise himself amongst crowds. Then, slowly, he picked up his bag and made his way towards Marxall. 

The fishing village of Marxall was a busy place, with many fishermen bringing out their catches and taking them to be distributed throughout Eternia. Yoshie, an elderly fisherman, was just bringing his catches of the day through into his home, just by the harbour. Some of the other fishermen were coming up from the dock, ready to take their stuff home for the night.   
"Goodnight then, Yoshie!" called one of them.   
"Goodnight!" he returned. "Great catches, by the way!"   
"Thanks a lot! I'll be in with 'em tomorrow morning!"   
Quinn and Hasho came up to Yoshie. They were two fishermen who shared Yoshie's wooden house, and maintained it for him, since he was old and needed a hand with much of his work.   
"How's things been today then, Yoshie old mate?" asked Quinn.   
"Fine, my friend." Yoshie replied. "Would you mind just carrying these in?" he asked, handing Quinn a bucket of fish which he had caught earlier in the day.   
"Sure thing." said Quinn, and he and Hasho carried the heavy bucket into the house.   
Yoshie carefully wound up his fishing rod. He was going to have to quit using these old-fashioned types, and get onto using the more modern fishing rods, the electronic ones that attracted the fish through fake smell, bringing a red light on when the fish came near. The fish could be caught by a mere flick of a switch that sucked it straight onto the end of the rod. But then, maybe with him being 'the old man of the village' he would be more expected to stick with the old-fashioned kind.   
He was just about to enter his home, when he spotted a hooded figure in a black robe approaching. The figure was very tall, but Yoshie could not see any of his features for the black hood, which completely overshadowed his face. The figure had a black bag slung over his shoulder. He made his way up to Yoshie's gate.   
"What can I do for you, my friend?" Yoshie asked.   
"You can….. help me….." the figure said, in a strange, gruff voice.   
"How?"   
"You can….. help me strike! You can….. bring He-Man here for me….."  
"He-Man? How can I bring He-Man here? He has no business in a simple fishing village….."  
"He will have….." said the figure, "if you help me."   
"How can I do that?"   
"By….." the figure reached his arm into his bag… "perishing under my blade!" He pulled out a sharp, gleaming sword from his bag, and held it in front of Yoshie's face. Yoshie stepped back in horror….. then froze in shock as he saw the red eyes, gleaming out from the shadow of the hood.   
Then the figure ripped off his robe, revealing a form that looked very like He-Man….. apart from his blue skin, red hair, and his grim expression and terrifying blazing eyes.   
Yoshie let out a scream….. but just then his scream was cut off by the sharpness of the blade piercing through his neck and his voice box, cutting clean through his neck. The head of the elderly fisherman flew off, hitting the door and then crashing to the ground, splattering out blood as the decapitated body slumped to the ground.   
Faker gazed into the gleam of his sword at the reflection of his blazing red eye, as the fisherman's blood trickled over it.   
He had seen the fisherman's mates go in just before. They must have seen him. Quickly, he gripped his bag, rushed into the house, dived into the cellar, and whispered "Okay He-Man….. just hurry up and arrive. It shall not be so easy this time….." 

There was a large crowd gathered outside Yoshie's home in the morning. The residents of Marxall were in uproar over the murder of the elderly fisherman whom they had respected for so many years. Many people were kneeling and laying flowers down on the spot where Yoshie had fallen.  
A younger fisherman walked up to Quinn. "Has his body been laid yet?" he asked.   
"His body been laid?! Don't be sick….."  
"No- I mean laid as in laid to rest."   
"Oh yeah- we had the death service guys over just at the break of dawn….. put him in a box and buried him at sea. But he's not gonna be laid to rest properly….. until we catch that bastard killer."   
"I don't understand why anyone would want to murder Yoshie. There's this rumour goin' round about it being a monster version of He-Man or something….. that's a load of crap, I guess?"   
"Well….. not quite. Hasho and I were on the top floor, and we heard Yoshie scream, and then we looked out and we saw this guy who looked just like He-Man….. except he had blue skin and red hair….. and glowing, red eyes. It sounds crazy, yeah, but by the Elders our eyes didn't deceive us. We ran down straight away, but by the time we'd reached the door Yoshie was dead."   
"That sounds terrible. You've no idea who this blue He-Man is, I guess?"   
"No. Never heard of anything of its sort. But we got the lawmen scouting round for anything suspicious."   
"Maybe it has something to do with Skeletor?"   
"It could quite well do. Marxall has always been free from the dark natures of Eternia….. but I'm fearing that could all change. Like I said, the lawmen are scouting round….. but I'm gonna make sure I get the real He-Man here to sort this out. He's the man we need!"   
"How you gonna find him?" asked the younger fisherman.   
"Ah, well." Quinn replied. "News travels fast through Eternia….. so I don't reckon we need to do so much- He-Man should come of his own accord!" 

In the Royal Palace of Eternia, Prince Adam was watching the busy streets below. It was refreshing to have a rest from battling against Skeletor….. even though he knew that the Lord of Destruction would doubtlessly strike again pretty soon. But the heroic warriors were growing much stronger at the present moment. They had gained several powerful new warriors. One of these, Extendar, was practising his backflips close to Adam, extending his powerful robotic limbs and flipping his body over.   
After a while, he took a break and went over to join Adam.   
"So, how's things going with Teela?" he asked. "You had any luck yet?"   
"I'm doing the occasional thing to seem more brave….. but she's only interested in He-Man. But she does show the occasional signs of affection, I'm just hoping….."  
He was interrupted by Teela herself, walking out onto the balcony. He quickly looked away from her, so she wouldn't think he'd been talking about her.   
"You wouldn't believe this thing that my father just picked up on the information system!" she exclaimed. (The information system is like an Eternian version of a radio- important news is automatically broadcast over it.)   
"Why? What's it about?" asked Extendar.   
"Come through and listen." she said. "He managed to record it. It's pretty disturbing."   
She led Adam and Extendar through to Man-At-Arms' lab, and Man-At-Arms said "I just managed to record this thing. I think that an old enemy could have returned."   
He flicked a switch on his machine, and a recording of the announcement came through.   
"The fishing village of Marxall is in a state of distress over the murder of Yoshie, an elderly fisherman who has lived in the village for over 50 years. He was stabbed to death outside his home late last night- but perhaps the most disturbing aspect of the case is the description of the murderer. Yoshie's housemates describe seeing someone who looked just like He-Man- except coloured blue, with red hair and glowing eyes. Lawmen are patrolling the area for any sign of the killer, while appealing for the real He-Man to come forth. It is thought that this 'blue He-Man' could possibly have some kind of connection with Snake Mountain." 

"A blue He-Man!" exclaimed Adam.   
"Indeed!" replied Man-At-Arms. "There's only one villain I've heard of who fits that description!"   
"Yes-" said Adam, "it has to be Faker! When I last….. er, when He-Man last fought him at Grayskull, I believe the Sorceress turned his skin blue so he couldn't impersonate He-Man again! Nothing has been heard from him since, but it sure does look as though he's back."   
Just then, King Randor walked into the room. "It definitely sounds distressing." he said grimly. "I think you should go to Marxall and investigate this. Maybe you can find Faker before he can strike again!"   
Adam turned to leave the room. "Then good luck, you guys." he said. "While, you're gone, I'll see if I can contact….."  
"No, Adam-" said Randor, "I think you should go with them. It will do good for your responsibility."   
"But Father, I-"  
"Please do not try to argue with me, Adam. You have shown me that you can be strong and responsible, and I feel you ought to make more of it. You are to leave with Duncan, Teela and Extendar at once."   
Adam shrugged. "Okay then."   
"Let's board the Wind Raider right away!" said Man-At-Arms, and led Adam, Teela and Extendar to the vehicle bay.   
"This is just great." whispered Adam to Man-At-Arms as they walked to the Wind Raiders. "Since my father has insisted I go, it'll mean I won't be able to change to He-Man since Teela's with us."   
"Don't despair, Adam." replied Man-At-Arms. "I'm sure once we're there, you'll have the chance to sneak off and become He-Man. After all, I'm sure most of the people there are expecting the real He-Man to arrive and investigate."   
"I should hope so." said Adam. "No doubt that He-Man will be the first person who Faker wants to see."   
They reached a Wind Raider, and each boarded it, then Man-At-Arms blasted the machine off towards Marxall. 

After several hours, the heroic warriors finally reached Marxall. Crowds were gathered around the small village in mourning. Man-At-Arms landed the Wind Raider in a small spot just on the edge of the village.  
The heroic warriors got out, and noticed that there were several lawmen patrolling round, each wearing shiny metal suits. One of them spotted Man-At-Arms, and walked over to them.   
"So, you've come to investigate, I guess?" he said.   
"We have indeed." said Man-At-Arms. "Fear not- we'll track down the murderer in no time!"   
"Have you any idea who this blue He-Man is?"   
"We're pretty sure we know!" said Man-At-Arms. "He-Man has battled in the past with an evil version of himself called Faker. After their last battle, The Sorceress of Grayskull turned Faker's skin blue, and we haven't heard from him since- but it seems as though he's struck back!"   
"Good luck in finding him." the lawman said. "We haven't seen anything suspicious yet, but we'll let you know if we do. It's good that we have you guys around to defend Eternia, because all we lawmen really do is protect it and get the minor criminals into jail. We just aren't powered to deal with things from Snake Mountain. Is this Faker from Snake Mountain, by the way?"   
"He was created by Skeletor," said Man-At-Arms, "but I'm not sure if he's rejoined his force or not. We'll be able to deal with any evil warriors we come across, and ensure the safety of this village!"   
"Great stuff, Man-At-Arms." replied the lawman. "One last thing- you any idea where the real He-Man is? We did ask for him to come forth."   
Man-At-Arms threw a very quick, unnoticed glance at Adam. "I don't think he's here just now, but don't worry, I'm sure he's not far off."   
"Okay then. Good luck!" 

Man-At-Arms, Adam, Teela and Extendar entered the village, which was full of crowds of people in an uproar over the murder. An instant cheer ran through the crowds as they spotted the heroic warriors approaching. Quinn rushed up to them, with Hasho.   
"Thank the sea lord you came!" said Quinn. "There's been angry scenes here, I'm telling you, distraught as we all are."   
"Well there's no need to worry." said Man-At-Arms. "We'll track down the blue He-Man, and we'll have him down in no time!"   
"Do you know who this blue He-Man is?" asked Hasho. "Perhaps someone's put an evil spell on He-Man that's turned him blue and made his mind evil?"   
"No, the blue He-Man is called Faker. He's a creation of Skeletor. At first he looked just like the real He-Man, but The Sorceress cast a spell on him that turned his skin blue so he couldn't impersonate He-Man. And we'll find him! We'll watch out for him tonight!"   
"Thank you!" said Quinn, saluting them. "It's a pleasure to have you around. There's a hotel opposite mine and Hasho's house- my name's Quinn by the way, better just let you know. Hasho and I lived with old Yoshie. Just come with us to the hotel, you're respected celebs round here, so you don't need to pay."   
Hasho and Quinn led the heroic warriors to a small building opposite their house, with an electronic sign above it saying in bright, illuminated letters "HOTEL- ANYONE WELCOME". The fishermen led them through the door, and they saw a long hallway of rooms.   
"Welcome, your highness!" said the owner, approaching them and shaking Prince Adam's hand. "Just stay anywhere you like- you're most welcome to go anywhere when we're not busy. I'm sorry it's such dismal conditions that's brought you here- but nevertheless, make yourselves at home."   
Each of them chose a single room to sleep in. Man-At-Arms then called them all through to his room to discuss their next move.   
"We need to be on the lookout for Faker straight away- and through most of the night, since that's when he's most likely to strike. Of course, he could possibly have passed on from here- but in case he's still lurking in this village, we need to keep a sharp lookout."   
"I think some of us had better go and calm those villagers down." said Extendar. "They're going pretty wild out there."   
"Good idea." said Man-At-Arms. "You and Teela go and calm them down. Assure them that we'll find Faker for them."   
"Right away, Father." said Teela. "What should we do when nightfall comes?"   
"Patrol the village." Man-At-Arms said. "Extendar- don't extend to full height, as that would only frighten Faker away, unless his ego's been given a super-boost. We want to lure him….. try to appear vulnerable, so he'll attack you- then turn on him when he strikes. If you catch any sight of him, contact me by your wrist radio, Extendar. While you scout around the centre of the village, Adam and I will watch around the seafront. And we'll contact you if we see anything."   
Adam gave a fake yawn. "Do we have to stay up all night? I'm tired enough as it is."   
"Oh Adam, pull yourself together!" laughed Teela. "You're tired all the time!"   
"Don't worry, even if Adam falls asleep, I sure won't!" said Extendar. "We'll leave at once!"   
Extendar and Teela departed, and once they had gone, Man-At-Arms turned to Adam. "I don't think you should change to He-Man just yet." he said. "Let's save the power sword until Faker strikes!"   
"Okay." said Adam. "Let's go and scout round the shore now. Hey, wait a minute….. oh damn, I forgot the power sword!"   
"What?! Adam, what are we going to do now? Faker will be going crazy to challenge He-Man….."  
Adam laughed. "Only kidding, Duncan!" he said, and he pulled out the gleaming sword from the hidden sheath on his back.   
"Dammit, you nearly had me seething then!" laughed Man-At-Arms. "Anyway, let's get onto patrol. There's no time to waste!" 

After night had fallen, the village was almost silent, the only figures in the streets being those of the heroic warriors, scouting the area for Faker. Man-At-Arms was walking along the beach, using his electronic binoculars to watch over long distances for any sight of Faker. Prince Adam had just emerged from the dockyard, after making sure that Faker wasn't hiding there. He made his way up onto the dimly lit street just outside the hotel.   
He took a quick glance at the house opposite the hotel, where Yoshie had been murdered last night. He saw Hasho in the window. He caught Hasho's eye, and nodded at him to assure him that he was on the lookout.   
Adam began to ascend the street towards the area where Teela and Extendar were on the lookout. All of a sudden, he heard a loud bang.   
Adam turned on his heel. He could see something moving through the window of Hasho's house. He could see Hasho stacking up some fishing reel….. but behind him was a darker figure which Adam could not quite make out…..  
Calm down, he told himself. It would only be Quinn. But anyway, he walked closer to the house just to make sure. And as he moved towards the building, he caught the sight of red torchlight, reflected off Hasho's back….. wait a second, it couldn't be torchlight. There were two blobs of light….. bright red, blazing light, and in a moment of horror Adam realised they were coming from the eyes of the being behind Hasho.   
He called out "Hasho! Look out!" but the figure burst out of the darkness, clutching a gleaming sword identical to Adam's power sword, and with bright red hair and blue skin….. it was Faker. Adam began to run, as fast as possible, towards the house. But as he did so, Hasho turned, and before he could act, Faker's blade was driving through his head, blood and brains oozing out from between his eyes.   
Adam rushed through and leapt through the window. He reached his power sword towards Faker….. but he was too late to stop him, as Hasho dropped to the ground, a large opening in his forehead from out of which his blood and brains seeped and ran to the ground. Faker then turned on Adam, knocking the power sword from his hand. As the sword clattered to the ground, Faker leapt on Adam and knocked him down into the cellar. He tied him up with rope. His red eyes blazing, he yelled "You're a famous guy, aren't you. Prince Adam- 'your royal majesty'. And you're a mate of He-Man's, aren't you? Well I'm looking for him! Where is he?"   
"I can get He-Man for you." Adam said. "Just let me out of here and I'll find him!"   
"Don't give me that shit." snarled Faker. "You're just saying that so I'll let you out and then you'll just run away! I'm gonna keep you here then….. and once I've killed He-Man, I'll tell King Randor that I'll only let you free if he hands the throne over to me!" He punched Adam hard in the face, then he gagged him.   
"There's no way you can escape from me." he said. "I'm keeping guard of you for now….. just you wait until He-Man arrives."   
Adam struggled to break free of the rope, but it was no use. In the form of Adam, he was not strong enough. If only he could get back above so he could retrieve the power sword and become He-Man….. but without the power sword, he was no match for Faker. And another man was dead, and who knew what Faker would do when there was no He-Man to challenge. 

Quinn awoke with a start. He was sure he had heard loud, violent noises from below. He leapt out of bed, and ran down the stairs to the ground floor.  
He was greeted by a sight as horrific as the one he had seen the night before. The body of Hasho was lying sprawled along the ground, a river of blood seeping through a huge gash right between his eyes. Lying close to the body was a gleaming sword.   
In a state of panic, Quinn ran to the window and shouted, at the top of his voice, "Someone get here quickly!!! Faker has struck back!"   
Hoping that someone had heard him, he rushed back to the body of Hasho. Both his housemates had been murdered….. over just two nights. And he was going to be next. He knew it.   
But at least this time, the killer had left the murder weapon at the scene of his crime. Quinn had to do his best to prevent another killing from occurring. He seized the sword, and took it up to his room, laying it quickly beside his bed. Then he ran back down and in a moment of relief saw that Man-At-Arms, Teela and Extendar were approaching.   
Bursting through the door, Man-At-Arms said "What's happened? What has Faker done now?"   
Quinn simply looked down, and pointed to the body of Hasho.   
"By the Sorceress!" gasped Teela, putting her hand to her mouth.   
"How did Faker get in?" asked Extendar.   
"He must have jumped through the window." said Quinn. "That's the problem with having glassless windows….. any intruder can enter. But why did Faker have to choose us?! Out of all the houses in the fuckin' village, and he chooses US!"   
"Calm yourself, my friend." said Man-At-Arms, laying his hand on Quinn's shoulder. "I'm sure that Faker's only reason for doing this is to attract attention, so that He-Man will come here. He's been bent on revenge on He-Man ever since he was thrown down the abyss, three years ago….. he must be trying to lure him here so he can challenge him."   
"Then did you see anything on your patrol?"   
"I didn't." Man-At-Arms looked at Teela and Extendar. They shook their heads silently.   
"Maybe Prince Adam saw something." Man-At-Arms suggested.   
"I doubt it." said Teela. "He'd be here if he had, surely? Oh no….. he probably ran away when he saw Faker, or when he heard Quinn shout. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if he hasn't been on patrol at all….. he's probably in bed now!"   
"No, Teela, I saw him just a few minutes before Faker struck. He went to patrol the dock. I know Adam's never had a reputation for bravery, but he's not THAT bad."   
"Well I don't give a shit where Adam is." said Quinn. "I wanna know where that bastard Faker is so I can do to him what he did to my mates!" He slammed one fist into the other hand in anger.   
"We will search the village at once for Faker." said Teela.   
"Well what you gonna do with me? I'm gonna be his next victim aren't I? And don't say otherwise, it's obvious….. he killed Yoshie, he killed Hasho….. I'm clearly his next choice."   
"Don't worry." said Man-At-Arms. "We'll keep you safe from Faker. Just come with us and we'll protect you."   
"Alright then." replied Quinn. "I'm willing to help you hunt down that bastard."   
"And with a second murder, the real He-Man will probably show up sooner or later." said Extendar.   
"Well… hopefully." said Man-At-Arms, praying that Adam was not missing. If he was….. then controlling Faker, if they managed to track him down, was going to be a nightmare- what would he do if he couldn't find He-Man?   
"Listen- Teela, you stay here and help Quinn recover. Contact the death service so they can lay Hasho to rest. Extendar- you go and patrol round the city and contact me if you see any sign of Faker. I'll go and find where Prince Adam is!"   
"Right away!" said Extendar, departing from the house. Man-At-Arms then turned to Teela. "Radio for me if Faker comes here." he said.   
"I will."   
"May the Elders protect you both!" Man-At-Arms departed, rushing straight across the dark street to the hotel.   
He looked in Adam's room….. but there was nobody in there. He quickly ran over to the dockyard, where Adam had been patrolling. And he searched the whole place for about twenty minutes….. but there was no sign of Adam.   
"Dammit….." he muttered to himself….. "please don't tell me Faker's got him too….."  
He made his way back to Quinn's home, stepped through the door, and shook his head. "No sign of Adam." he said lowly. "I fear that Faker has gotten hold of Adam as well."   
Little did he know that Adam was right beneath his feet….. with Faker. "He-Man must come tomorrow….." Faker was hissing, "if not….. I kill. I kill them all." 

The next morning, crowds were once again running riot in the streets of Marxall. A group of teenage boys were waving a banner saying "KILL THE BLUE HE-MAN". Groups of people all over the place were holding signs saying "FAKER MUST BE DESTROYED".   
The leader of Marxall was standing atop a tall building, shouting to the crowds "We must put an end to the evil that has entered our beloved village! Everybody- if you feel you would be no match for this evil version of He-Man- lock your doors, and bar your windows with wood. If you are strong and feel you can help us destroy this being- arm yourselves and help the heroic warriors hunt down the killer. For not only has a second man been murdered, but Prince Adam has disappeared too! It is feared that Faker may have killed his Royal Highness too, though we must pray that he is only holding him captive. The heroic warriors will do their best to hunt down the killer- but the person we need the most is the REAL He-Man!" he looked up to the skies, as if calling for a God. "He-Man- wherever you are- come and help us! Marxall needs you- more urgently than any other place on Eternia!!! We beg of you- come to our aid!"   
The angry crowds cheered, all except for Man-At-Arms, who had a worried expression on his face. For he was the only person here who knew that Prince Adam was also He-Man….. and if Faker had taken Adam from them, he had taken He-Man. Man-At-Arms was struck with immense fear that the worst may have happened….. and without He-Man, Eternia could be truly lost.   
But there was no way they could give in. He turned to Teela and Extendar. "We must search this place for Faker at once. I know it's unlikely that he'll show himself in broad daylight, but we must search for him anyway- and we mustn't give in. He is out here somewhere, and he is no doubt planning his next move. Quinn fears he will be the next victim, and I have already informed the leader of this, and he will make sure that Quinn is guarded all day long by lawmen. We must set out on patrol right now."   
The three heroic warriors disbanded, and set off round the village to search for their enemy.   
Pushing through the angry crowds, who were being held back by several lawmen, was Quinn, who was concealing the sword of power underneath his long cutlass, mistakenly believing that it was the weapon that Faker had used to kill Yoshie and Hasho. He entered the leader's home, and went up to the roof, where the leader was keeping watch over the angry crowds.   
"Sir-" he began.   
"Hey, no need to call me Sir, you and I have been mates for years, Quinn! I should be Byron to you, not Sir- or Leader as most call me nowadays!"   
"Okay then- Byron. I've got the sword here that Faker killed Hasho and Yoshie with. You'd better keep it safe 'cause it might stop him from striking again."   
Byron took the sword from Quinn. "Thank you." he said. "I will keep this guarded. I am sorry about hat happened to your friends- but I will ensure that you will not be the next man killed. The lawmen will keep an eye on your house all night."   
"That's great-" said Quinn, "but I'll keep myself armed with my trustworthy cutlass. 'specially without his sword, this Faker will be no match for that!" 

The riots in the village lasted throughout the day, though the lawmen were just able to prevent them from getting too violent. As Man-At-Arms, Teela and Extendar patrolled Marxall for any sign of Faker or Prince Adam, Man-At-Arms contacted Rio Blast, Snout Spout and Fisto, who came to the village to calm down the people and help them cope with the murders. All of Eternia was shocked by the crimes.   
When night fell, the streets were less quiet than usual- several groups of men walked the streets armed with clubs and knives, with no less aim than to find Faker and make him pay for his crimes. Man-At-Arms, Teela and Extendar patrolled the streets, keeping regular radio communication with Rio Blast, Snout Spout and Fisto, who walked the streets to make sure everyone was safe from another attack by Faker.   
Quinn slept, as usual, in his own home, his cutlass by his bed. Though two lawmen stood guard outside the main door, armed with guns so that Faker would not make it past them. But little did they know that Faker was already inside the building…..  
In the cellar, keeping watch over the struggling Prince Adam, who had no chance of escape. Adam knew that all chaos would be wreaked throughout Marxall before long….. with no sign of He-Man, the man who both the people, and Faker, expected to see most. He prayed to the Elders that someone would find him, so he could become He-Man and settle Faker once and for all.   
"Took several looks over this fucking village today." hissed Faker. "Still no sign of He-Man….. just Man-At-Arms and all those fools. But I will have He-Man before long….." he slowly crept up the ladder and out of the cellar. The first thing he saw, through the window, was two lawmen standing guard outside. No trouble for him….. he leapt out through the back window instead. Because of course, these fools didn't realise his hiding place was within the house.   
Man-At-Arms walked across the streets of the village, eyes and ears straining to catch the slightest hint of danger. He had seen nothing of suspicion yet…..  
Until he felt the grasp of an icy hand placed on his shoulder. He spun round in shock and saw two red eyes blazing into his own, shining with a terrifying flare.   
Although usually a brave warrior, Man-At-Arms felt his muscles freeze, rigid. For this being, apart from his terrifying eyes and his blue skin and bright red hair, was identical in ever feature to Man-At-Arms' closest ever companion- He-Man.   
Man-At-Arms had never seen Faker since the evil being was knocked down the abyss three years ago- but now he was face-to-face with the man, he was more terrified than he had ever anticipated, hearing the sharp sound of every bone in his body locking with terror. He was going to be Faker's next victim.   
"Please….. don't….. do anything." he stammered.   
"I won't." said Faker, in a voice similar to He-Man's, except hoarser, with the chilling tinge of evil. "I'm only here to give you a warning. I shall not kill anyone tonight. But if I have not seen He-Man in this village by this time tomorrow- I will kill all of you." he grabbed Man-At-Arms by the throat and flung him to the ground. "So bring me He-Man!"   
With that, Faker ran from the scene, and was quickly gone from sight.   
Man-At-Arms was left shivering on the street in terror. Faker would kill him and all his companions, along with his daughter, if he had not found He-Man by the next day. But when he had no idea where Prince Adam was….. how could he find He-Man? Man-At-Arms shuddered, feeling that the chances of Eternia's survival were incredibly thin. 

The next morning, the streets of Marxall were engulfed in just as much chaos as the day before, even though there had been no murder overnight.  
"Well, there's been no killing, what we fussing about?" one man could be heard to say. "The blue He-Man guy hasn't struck back, so he's probably gone by now."   
"No, he's still here!" another man replied. "He nearly killed Man-At-Arms last night!"   
Byron stepped onto the roof of his home, and ordered for silence. The crowds fell silent and looked up at the village's leader.   
"There has been no murder overnight. But Man-At-Arms actually saw this Faker- face-to-face. Following the confrontation, Man-At-Arms was found lying on the street in terror by Rio Blast. I will allow Man-At-Arms himself to speak out about the incident- which clearly shows that Faker, wherever he may be hiding, has no intention of leaving this village."   
Man-At-Arms, still feeling shaken by his terrifying encounter with Faker the night before, stepped up onto the roof to join Byron.   
"He just sprung up behind me on the street. I didn't see or hear him coming. And he gave me an ultimatum. If He-Man is not in this village by nightfall today, Faker will kill us all."   
"Then there's only one solution." shouted one man from down below. "Find He-Man! He's the only person who'll be able to defeat this false version of himself!"   
"Well….. yes." said Man-At-Arms, his heart pounding with worry about what might have happened to Prince Adam, whom no-one had sighted. Obviously Faker must be behind Adam's disappearance….. and Faker clearly didn't realise that by capturing Adam, he had only captured the very man who he wanted to challenge. And if he had killed Prince Adam, which Man-At-Arms hoped to Grayskull that he hadn't, then his only choice to stop Faker from going on the rampage looking for He-Man would be to tell him that Adam was He-Man. But what would an evil warrior such as Faker do, if he was told this great secret of Grayskull?   
The crowd on the streets was cheering and chanting "FIND HE-MAN! HE IS OUR SAVIOUR!" but they didn't realise just how serious the situation was. Man-At-Arms descended the steps back down to the highest floor of the building, intense with worry.   
"Hey, whatcha lookin' so tense about, partner?" asked Rio Blast. "Even if we don't find He-Man, Faker's still gonna be outnumbered by us six to one."   
"I'm not sure." said Man-At-Arms. "Yeah, we still outnumber him- but as I saw last night, he's got the skill for sneaking up on people. We've no way of telling what he'll do. The man is completely psychotic- he seems more evil than Skeletor! And with the given circumstances, it seems as though he may have more chance of taking over Eternia than Skeletor."   
"C'mon man, it can't be that bad." said Rio Blast. "I mean, we've still got a pretty high chance of beating him."   
"But remember- He-Man is easily capable of defeating six evil warriors all at once. Faker may not be quite as strong as He-Man, but he is definitely very nearly as strong. And he could have trained so much in the past year that he might possibly be stronger than the real He-Man by now! We face a real challenge here!"   
"You could be right." said Rio Blast. "But never you worry. With my trusty old lasers around- Faker's gonna get a real shock! If he thinks we're gonna be easy to defeat, just wait until he faces Rio Blast!"   
Man-At-Arms gave a half-laugh, for a second envying Rio because he could take this situation so coolly despite the threat. But then, Rio didn't know that Adam was He-Man, and he obviously expected that He-Man would turn up sooner or later.   
"We know for sure that Faker will return tonight, as darkness falls- and if we haven't found He-Man by then, we could be doomed." said Man-At-Arms.   
"Well what are we waiting for? Let's just get hold of him!" said Rio Blast.   
Man-At-Arms wasn't sure what to say. He knew that the real He-Man was held captive and possibly even dead. Yet how could he explain it to Rio Blast without giving away the secret? He quickly changed the subject.   
"We know that Faker must be hiding somewhere in this village- and he probably has Prince Adam held captive. We must find Faker's hiding place and rescue Prince Adam!"   
"Sure thing- but hadn't we better get He-Man to help us?"   
"We better had….." said Man-At-Arms, fumbling through his mind for a good excuse. "But He-Man told me….. that he had a very important mission. On the other side of Eternia. He never said what it was, but chances are he may not even know about the trouble we're having here. So we must try to find Faker ourselves- right away!"   
"Yeah, we better had, though I'm pretty sure that He-Man will show up. Let's get searching, right away!"   
They went out into the streets and found Extendar, Teela, Snout Spout and Fisto.   
"Father- I've been waiting to speak to you. We've gotta find He-Man by nightfall- otherwise we've no chance!"   
"Yes, Teela- but I hadn't told you that He-Man said something about going on an urgent mission. I only remembered it just then, actually. He may be unavailable. So just in case we're unable to find him, we must search for Faker's hideout right away- and find where he's keeping Adam!"   
"Sure thing, Father! Let's start right away!"   
The six heroic warriors instantly split from the crowds, ready to search the streets of Marxall for this deadly enemy. The fate of Eternia was in their hands- and they would not let their planet fall to the rule of Faker. 

As Man-At-Arms and the other heroic warriors made their way around the streets of Marxall, they were approached by Quinn.  
"Are you gonna get He-Man here to see to this Faker?" Quinn asked.   
"I think it may be difficult to find He-Man." said Man-At-Arms. "I only just remembered that he had some sort of mission really far from here, and may not even know about the danger this village is in."   
"Than what are we gonna do? I'll be dead tonight if you don't find He-Man!"   
"Don't worry- we'll do our best to see to this problem without He-Man." replied Man-At-Arms. "And even if Faker strikes back tonight, I seriously doubt that he'll be interested in killing you- from what he said last night, it seems as though he wants to kill US. But we must try to make sure he cannot strike back tonight- we are setting out to find where he is hiding and where he's holding Prince Adam."   
"Good job man. I'll let you know if I have any idea where Faker's hiding."   
"And also- don't tell any of the villagers about our difficulty in finding He-Man. They're all going mad to get He-Man here, and if we even suggest that he may not be able to make it, they'll panic because they'll think Faker's going to kill them all tonight."   
"Sure thing. I wish you the besta luck man. I'll try and find this Faker guy before nightfall!"   
Quinn departed from the heroic warriors, making sure he had his cutlass tucked into his belt. He would shock Faker if he came across him, by stabbing him with his cutlass. It would be especially effective since Faker had no weapon, Quinn having given the sword to Byron. 

The heroic warriors spent most of the day searching through Marxall for where Faker could be hiding. They searched all through the dock, the harbour, the abandoned homes….. but there was no sign of him. By late midday, they had got absolutely nowhere with finding Faker.   
"He must be here somewhere." said Teela.   
"Unless the guy can make himself invisible." said Rio Blast.   
"We must keep searching," said Man-At-Arms, "as we have to find where he is and what he's done with Adam. We've only got eight hours left before nightfall. If we haven't found Faker by then, our lives are in danger."   
All over the streets, groups of angry villagers were running around, screaming for He-Man to come and help them. There were even some men going around with hunting knives and clubs, searching for Faker themselves.   
"If only He-Man could just show up out of the blue and help us." said Extendar.   
"Still, even if He-Man doesn't show up, we can still defeat Faker….. when I can crush him with the mere heel of my boot."   
"Maybe so," said Man-At-Arms, "but Faker will probably launch a surprise attack….."  
He was suddenly cut off by a terrifying sound, ringing through the air. It was the sound of Skeletor's siren. The heroic warriors looked up to see four evil Rotons cruising through the air. They fired down at the village, scattering people through the streets, before they landed in a clear spot.   
Out from the seats of the Rotons came Skeletor, Beast Man, Trap Jaw and Tri-Clops.   
"I hear that an old creation of mine is alive and well in this village." the evil lord of destruction boomed. "No evil should be wreaked on this planet without myself in control. Where is he?! Faker is my servant, and will remain so!"   
Bravely, Man-At-Arms rushed up to Skeletor. "We have no idea where Faker is." he said. "We are looking for him at this moment. But this village is no place for you, Skeletor! We shall stop Faker when he next strikes- so it is no use you staying here anyway!"   
"And you expect to get rid of me that easily?" mocked Skeletor. "Evil Warriors- attack!"   
Beast Man, Trap Jaw and Tri-Clops launched themselves at the heroic warriors, and a tremendous struggle began.   
For many hours, the residents of Marxall watched as good fought evil in the streets that had been completely devoid of action for many years. Man-At-Arms and Beast Man struggled with one another over the ground, as Snout Spout's water proved an exact match for Tri-Clops' strength and Rio Blast's lasers clashed with Trap Jaw's. Extendar, in giant size, managed to scatter the evil warriors by raising his feet above them, until he was injured when Trap Jaw backfired one of Rio Blast's bolts on Extendar, putting him temporarily out of action.   
The battle raged on and on, but the evil warriors were outnumbered, and eventually retreated, as the skies grew darker.   
The heroic warriors stood panting for breath in the street. "I'm so glad we managed to beat them." said Teela, exhausted. "We've had enough trouble as it is."   
"Yes-" said Man-At-Arms, lowly, "but that struggle with the evil warriors has cost us dearly. Look at the time!"   
The heroic warriors looked up at the great clock tower in the center of the village. The digitally-displayed time showed that it was almost 28 o'clock- almost midnight.   
The heroic warriors gasped in shock. "It's almost midnight!" cried Teela. "And we haven't found He-Man- or where Faker's hiding! He'll really be going on the rampage!"   
"I'm afraid so, Teela." said Man-At-Arms. "And we are all exhausted from that battle….. we stand no chance against Faker."   
Man-At-Arms shook his head, as the warriors stood there in total silence. Their doom was impending. They could feel it. 

From his hiding-place in Quinn's cellar, Faker heard the electrical announcement from the clock tower. "TWENTY-EIGHT O'CLOCK".   
"It's twenty-eight o'clock….." hissed Faker to the helpless Prince Adam, "and I have seen no He-Man in the village today. Then my only choice….. is to kill the lot of them." 

Quinn heard the clock tower announce twenty-eight o'clock. Midnight had struck, and Faker would no doubt be appearing soon- on the rampage, since He-Man had still not been found. Quinn knew he must make sure he was well-prepared in case Faker tried to kill him. His cutlass was firmly tucked into his belt. He then remembered that he also had a long hunting stick and rope. He had better arm himself with them too, so he went to get them….. from the cellar.   
He opened the door in the ground, and descended the ladder down into the dark cellar. He turned round to feel his way through the dark for the weapons.   
But all of a sudden, Quinn's heart began beating heavily against his rib cage, like a wild animal trying to escape from a cage, and he felt the adrenaline pump through his body as he observed the two red eyes shining at him through the darkness.   
The eyes loomed closer….. until he could see the whole face….. the BLUE face, with the flame-red hair, identical to He-Man in all aspects other than the colours and the evil, twisted facial expression.   
Quinn froze in terror. 

There would be no trouble in getting past this guy, thought Faker. The fisherman was rigid with shock, and only just managed to pull out his cutlass from his belt. Faker knocked it out of Quinn's hand with one swipe of his sword.   
"The sword….." stammered Quinn, "but….. how did you get hold of it? I took it to the leader….."  
"When did you take my sword to 'the leader'?" hissed Faker.   
"It was lying by Hasho's body….. and….."  
"You fool! That was the sword belonging to Prince Adam, from whom you have nothing to fear! Both your friends have met their deaths at my hands….. and now you will too!" he slashed through Quinn's chest with his sword, and in no time, Quinn dropped dead to the ground. That was no trouble, thought Faker. But tonight he intended to commit some far more vicious murders….. on the heroic warriors.   
His body fuelled by anger and evil bloodthirst, he rose from the cellar.   
Quinn opened his eyes, and looked up as Faker's blue legs ascended the ladder and went out of the cellar. He waited a few moments, then once he was sure that Faker had left the house, he arose. He felt the gash across his chest. It wasn't too serious, he'd felt worse than that when he'd been bitten by a shark several years ago. But he'd acted convincingly enough for Faker to believe he was dead. He knew that was the best choice, to fake death while he was in shock, before Faker actually had the chance. Now that Faker had gone, he would no doubt be off to wreak havoc all over Marxall. So it was up to Quinn to help prevent it. He gripped his cutlass and picked up the heavy stick, intending to follow Faker and attack him from behind. But just then he heard a muffled cry from somewhere else in the dark cellar.  
He felt his way through the darkness, and tripped upon what felt like a human leg. Glancing beneath him, he saw a human form beneath him- bound and gagged.   
"Don't worry." he said. "I'll help you!" Quinn pulled the person to the other side of the cellar, where the light seeped in through the trapdoor, and he saw that the captive was none other than Prince Adam.   
"Adam!" he exclaimed. "Fear not- I'll get you out of this trap!" He quickly unwound the rope and undid the gag, and Adam was finally free to move and speak again.   
"Thank you so much!" said Adam. "Faker's had me trapped here like this for two whole days!"   
"So he's been hiding here, in my cellar, all the time?"   
"Yes!" said Adam. "I tried to stop him when he murdered Hasho, but he was too quick for me and trapped me down here. I've been struggling free, but couldn't break through the rope!"   
"Damn, if I'd known Faker was hiding in my house the whole time all this business would have been over within minutes! Now he's escaped- and he said that if he hadn't seen He-Man by tonight, he'd kill everyone!"   
"I know." Adam replied grimly. "Faker told me. My friends are in danger, and I must go to help them. Do you know where my sword is?"   
"Well….. I gave it to Byron, the leader, I'm afraid. I thought it was Faker's murder weapon. But I can get it back-"  
"It's okay." said Adam. "I'll go and get it back straight away. I'll help put a stop to Faker's doings! Aren't you hurt by that blade wound?"   
"Not at all mate! I've had worse wounds than this, this ain't nothing to me!"   
"Then you go out into the village and help save my friends! I'll go and get my sword at once!"   
"Sure thing mate!" he said. Adam shook his hand, and left to retrieve his sword.   
"By the sea lord!" said Quinn to himself as Adam departed. "All that I heard about the Prince being a wimp was clearly a loada crap. He's one of the bravest guys I've met- he's just like He-Man!" 

Man-At-Arms, Teela, Extendar, Rio Blast, Fisto and Snout Spout were pacing slowly through the streets, separate from one another, ready for Faker's attack. As Snout Spout passed a dark alley, a figure suddenly leaped out, and felled him before he could do anything. Fisto found Snout Spout lying battered, moments later, and called to Man-At-Arms "Alert! Be on guard! Faker has struck already!"   
"Where is he?!" cried Man-At-Arms.   
"I don't know," replied Fisto, "but I just found Snout Spout lying unconscious, badly beaten! He'll still survive- but Faker's obviously out to do worse!"   
Man-At-Arms instantly took out his pistol and gave orders. "Fisto and Rio- go and help Snout Spout. Just take him somewhere safe- see if there's a doctor to heal his wounds! Teela, Extendar and I will keep watch for Faker!"   
Man-At-Arms, Teela and Extendar gripped tight hold of their weapons, as Fisto and Rio Blast went to attend to Snout Spout. Around them, the streets were in no way as silent as they had been the night before. Most of the villagers had been watching the whole battle between the good and evil warriors, and were crowded all over the streets in the hope of seeing the final battle with Faker. Most of them were confused as to why He-Man had not shown up, but they were all rooting for the heroic warriors to win, many of them waving their anti-Faker banners all over. Groups of men walked the streets with their clubs and knives, hoping to finish off Faker in case they came across him before the warriors did. Byron stood atop his large home, shouting "Stay calm! Do not attack Faker if he shows up- he is powerful and evil and will have you down within seconds. Only our heroic warriors can deal with him! Lock yourselves in your homes to avoid his evil grasp!"   
Most of the villagers ignored him. They had to see the battle when Faker arrived- and do their best to try to stop him, even if they were weak by comparison. To simply lock themselves in their homes would be cowardly- and the people wanted to be seen as allies of the masters of the universe- not just simple fishing folk.   
Man-At-Arms, Teela and Extendar paced through the street for moment after moment, straining their every senses to catch the slightest hint of Faker. But they saw and heard nothing. Wherever he was, Faker was biding his time to make the big move.   
A tall man, dressed in a long black robe with a large hood concealing his face, walked up from the crowd to the warriors. "I will help you." he said, in a low, hoarse voice.   
"My friend-" said Man-At-Arms, "we feel most honoured that you are pledging your help, but I advise you to leave this scene. You don't know just how badly Faker could hurt you. We alone must handle Faker- and it shall be hard enough for us! So I urge you- escape with your life!"   
The robed man was silent for a few seconds. Then he suddenly jerked forward, ripped off his veil, thrust himself towards Man-At-Arms and Teela, gripping them by the necks, and said "You are even bigger fools than I thought! Being tricked by such a simple disguise!"   
The crowd gasped in horror as they fixed their eyes on the terrifying figure with its muscular arm slung round the necks of Man-At-Arms and Teela. It was just as they'd heard it described- an exact replica of He-Man, except with blue skin, red hair and bright, glowing red eyes. This was Faker.   
Shouts of "Let them go, you fiend!" and "You cannot win, you murdering bastard!" ran through the crowd. Faker paid no attention. These were weak, useless fools to him. He gripped his arm firmly round Man-At-Arms and Teela, and aimed his blade at their necks.   
In front of them, Extendar sprang out his bionic arms. "You really think you can win that easily, Faker? Not until you've dealt with me!"   
"Quit boasting." hissed Faker. "I've heard tales over Eternia about you….. what an amazing warrior you are, and how you can extend to giant size. Well I can tell you something- you take one further step, or extend any further, and I slash these fools' heads straight off. Not that I won't do that anyway….. but if you want to save them, you'll have to find a better way than just attacking me!"   
Extendar looked Faker straight in the eye. He felt a shudder run through his body as the red, blazing glare penetrated his vision. If he took one move closer, Faker would kill Man-At-Arms and Teela.…. Extendar would have to save them.   
"Rio! Fisto!" he called. "I need your help! Faker's gonna kill Duncan and Teela!" "We'll help!" called out one man from the crowd, and he and a group of men advanced forward with their weapons.   
"No!" said Extendar. "Faker will only kill them- and you if you make any move. Only I can deal with this!"   
Faker's face twisted into a snarl. "You have no chance, weakling!" he laughed. "Time to face up to the fact that Faker has won!"   
His eyes blazing with evil triumph, he moved the blade of his sword closer to the warriors' necks….. 

Prince Adam hurried through the streets of Marxall, panting for breath. He had to retrieve his sword before Faker could cause any serious damage….. if he hadn't already. If only Adam had changed to He-Man before journeying to Marxall, so the problem could have been over in seconds!  
He hurried past crowds of people, who cried out "Look! Prince Adam has escaped!" as they saw him. But he had no time to stop and chat. They probably assumed he was running from Faker- but he couldn't care what was on their minds. His sole aim at this moment was to retrieve the sword of power.   
He approached Byron's home, and burst through the door. He ran up several flights of stairs, scanned each floor rapidly for the sword, but saw nothing. Eventually he reached the top floor. Having heard the sound of Adam's footsteps, Byron came down from the roof.   
"Prince Adam!" he exclaimed. "You are free!"   
"I finally got free, thanks to Quinn." Adam panted. "Faker has been holding me in Quinn's cellar for the past few days. But I can't stop to chat- I need my sword! Where is it?"   
"Sword? What sword?!"   
"Quinn says he gave it to you, thinking it was Faker's murder weapon! But it was actually my sword- and now that I'm free, I need it so that I can fight back at Faker!"   
"You might need to- though chances of succeeding look slim." said Byron. "Just look outside!"   
Adam rushed to the window, and saw the terrifying figure of Faker- his arm gripped around Man-At-Arms and Teela! And he looked as though he was about to stab them!   
"I need the sword!" panicked Adam. "Right away!"   
"Here you go." said Byron, opening up a box in the corner of the room. Adam dived inside the box, gripped hold of the gleaming power sword inside, and rushed out of the room at once, without even stopping to thank Byron. Absolutely no time could be wasted! Faker was about to kill his friends, and he could even take over Eternia- so Adam would bring Faker his belated enemy- He-Man!   
Rushing out of the back door of the building into the street, Adam dived into an alleyway, and running through it, raised his sword above his head, and shouted: 

"BY THE POWER OF GRAYSKULL…..  
I HAVE THE POWER!" 

A flash of light poured over his body, and he transformed to the mighty form of He-Man as he ran!   
He-Man emerged from the alleyway. Now to sneak up on Faker before he could kill his friends! 

In the middle of the street, Faker held his sword right up to Teela's neck. She had no chance now. There was no-one to save her…..  
Just then Faker was interrupted by a huge cloud of smoke appearing from nowhere, nearby where he was standing. Out from the smoke stepped the caped form of Skeletor, lord of destruction.   
"Now that you are about to defeat my hated enemies, Faker," he began, "you must rejoin me. I created you, you must remember. I am your father. Do not deny me….. once you have killed these fools I will put you in the position of second-in-command in my army. You will be my most trusted servant."   
"Faker is servant to no-one!" snarled Faker. "You may have created me, but I no longer care. Eternia is MINE to take over! I am stronger than you, Skeletor- why should I let a weakling like you boss me about!"   
"No-one speaks that way to the lord of destruction….." said Skeletor, stepping forward and aiming his havoc staff at Faker.   
"Do you want me to kill you too?!" Faker boomed, swiping at Skeletor with his sword. "I am no longer a part of your army! We are enemies, Skeletor!"   
"Back off, Skeletor!" called Extendar. "Faker is psychotic- you must not let him destroy you! I cannot even stand to think of someone as evil as you being defeated by this madman!"   
"Wise words, metal man." laughed Faker. "Absolutely no-one can stand against Faker!"   
Just then, Fisto and Rio Blast emerged from round the corner. "We can, hombre!" said Rio Blast.   
Faker simply erupted into maniacal laughter. "You stand no chance!" he shouted. "You take one move, and I will simply kill these two fools. Now is the time to do that anyway!" he moved his blade closer to their necks.   
"No, Faker! You cannot kill them!" cried Extendar.   
"The only way I would ever spare their lives….." hissed Faker, "would be if He-Man were to show up in front of me this very moment!"   
"Maybe not in front….." came a voice from behind him, "but would behind do?!" and Faker was suddenly hit from behind by a mighty punch, causing him to fall, losing his grip on Man-At-Arms and Teela.   
The crowd erupted into a loud, raucous cheer as they saw that it was none other than He-Man who had attacked Faker!   
"HE-MAN IS HERE AT LAST!!!!!" they cheered. "DEAL WITH THIS MURDERER!!! YOU ARE THE GREATEST!!!!! GO FOR IT, HE-MAN!!!!!"   
Even Man-At-Arms and Teela jumped with joy at the sight of He-Man. "Do it, He-Man!" Teela shouted. "You show him!!!!!"   
Faker picked himself up, and gazed up at his foe. His eyes blazed bright red with anger as his glance met He-Man's. "So, He-Man….." he hissed, "you finally show yourself. But not for long….. for soon, you'll be dead by my hand!" he jumped to his feet, and thrust his sword out at He-Man.   
"Man-At-Arms- you and all the other warriors take care of Skeletor!" ordered He-Man. "It's time for me to settle the score with this over-confident psycho!"   
"Right away, He-Man!" said Man-At-Arms.   
"You got my assistance too, my friends!" said Quinn, emerging from round the corner with his cutlass.   
"Then let the battle….. begin!!!" ordered He-Man, and instantly the heroic warriors raged at Skeletor, and He-Man's blade clashed with Faker's, as the street was engulfed in the sounds of a fight to the finish. 

He-Man and Faker fought one another with all their might. Both were such bitter enemies that each fought with more aggression than they ever had done before in their lives.   
"You cannot win, Faker!" He-Man said, as the battle ran through the streets. "No evil force is any match for the power of Grayskull!"   
"And you don't know just how many unsolved murders in the past year have been committed by me!" snarled Faker. "And I have trained….. I must be stronger than you by now!"   
He crashed his sword against He-Man's in anger. He-Man took a step back, aimed his sword at Faker, and fired a power bolt at him. Faker went flying back into the next street.   
"Your puny bolts cannot destroy me!" bellowed Faker, charging at He-Man.   
"Then will my punches do any good?" said He-Man, hitting Faker in the chest with a heavy punch and sending him flying back once more. He-Man charged forward at his enemy, picked him up by the scruff of the neck, and hurled him into the harbour. Faker landed with a crash on top of a load of barrels.   
He-Man paused for breath, then followed his enemy into the harbour. Faker emerged from underneath the barrels, his red eyes blazing with intense fury. "You've really asked for it now, He-Man!" he snarled, and picked up a barrel, hurling it at He-Man. He-Man simply caught it in one hand, and hurled it back at Faker, hitting him in the chest.   
Faker paused. Although he knew he had gotten stronger since he last met his hated enemy, He-Man was still going to be hard to beat. But if he could lure him closer to the sea, then maybe he could knock him in…..  
Faker took several side steps to his left, and edged closer to the sea. "Come and get me, He-Man." he said. "I'm all yours."   
He-Man ran towards Faker, brandishing his power sword. But he was running too fast, and Faker dived out of his way, and He-Man stumbled towards the edge of the land, and dropped off the edge and into the sea.   
He-Man arose from the watery depths, unshaken. "I have fought many underwater battles, Faker." he said. "The sea is no match for me!"   
"Oh, yes? Well this time, things will be different….." he picked up a barrel, to throw it at He-Man. But when he threw it, He-Man swam out of the way, and leapt up onto a boat, anchored to the dock.   
His mind fuelled by fury, Faker leapt up onto the boat with his enemy. "This fight has gone on too long, He-Man." he hissed. "Now to finish you off, once and for all!"   
Just then the two fighters heard shouts of "COME ON, HE-MAN! YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!" from close by. They looked around to see a huge gathering of villagers, and at the front was Man-At-Arms, who was gripping the battered body of Skeletor. The other warriors and Quinn were around him.   
"Skeletor stood no chance against us!" said Quinn. "Now you just need to finish off Faker!"   
"You cannot win!" said Faker, lunging forth at He-Man. But He-Man just gripped his neck and hurled Faker over his shoulder. "As was the case when we last met, Faker," he said, "you are very strong- but I am still stronger!"   
He went over to Faker's fallen body, and thrust his sword right in front of Faker's neck. "Surrender, Faker." he said.   
"Faker shall never….. surrender!"   
"Then I have no choice but to finish you!" said He-Man, slashing Faker's chest with his sword, then punching him straight in the face with his mighty fist. Faker fell back, dazed. He-Man called to Quinn "Quickly- release that small boat, there!"   
Quinn didn't really understand, but he did as He-Man said and went forward, unanchoring a small, wooden boat from the dock.   
Faker made his way towards He-Man again. "Okay, He-Man….. this time I shall finish you off! You stand no chance against Faker!"   
"So you like to think!" said He-Man, and lunged towards Faker, bashing him in the face, then he threw himself into the air, coming down on him with a mighty kick in the chest, then he launched himself into a massive, mind-numbing ten-hit combo, leaving Faker lying unconscious on the ground. Then he picked up Faker's body, and threw him into the small boat that Quinn had just released. Then he leapt back down onto the dock, and thrust the small boat out to sea, carrying Faker. The boat drifted away over the great Eternian ocean, until it was lost from view. Faker had gone. 

The people of Marxall burst into a cheer. "HAIL HE-MAN! THE GREATEST CHAMPION ETERNIA HAS EVER SEEN!!!!!"   
Quinn leaned forward, and shook hands with He-Man. "Thank you, my friend. You have avenged the deaths of Yoshie and Hasho. You are a true hero."   
Skeletor, battered and bruised, having stood no chance against so many warriors, simply took one glance at He-Man, then teleported himself away, wordlessly.   
The crowds continued cheering, and Byron came up to congratulate He-Man. "You have saved Marxall from the greatest danger that has ever threatened it. We owe you our lives, He-Man! We will never forget you and how you saved us!"   
"HE-MAN RULES!!!!! WE LOVE YOU HE-MAN!!!!! YOU ARE THE SAVIOUR OF ALL!!!!!" chanted the crowds, as the celebrations ran throughout Marxall, every person relieved at having been saved from the evil doings of Faker. 

The next morning, the mood was on a massive high in Marxall. As the people continued to celebrate over the defeat of Faker, a huge banner was cast over the village, saying "THIS VILLAGE WAS SAVED BY HE-MAN- THE GREATEST HERO OF THEM ALL".   
He-Man had left the village the night before, but everyone still felt just as high. Prince Adam had been released, Snout Spout was recovering, and everyone felt honoured to have been saved by He-Man.   
"I'm grateful to you all!" said Quinn, to the whole group of heroic warriors as he thanked them for their help. "And I've showed you what my good old cutlass can do- so I'm always willing to help serve the masters of the universe!"   
"We must also thank you, for helping us beat Skeletor last night." said Man-At-Arms. "It's good to know we can always find new allies. As for Faker- he'll probably be dead by now. He was badly beaten, and how could he survive, drifting out in a simple wooden boat over the ocean? He-Man has rid us of this villain once and for all, I think."   
"And I couldn't thank He-Man more!" said Quinn. "But I've gotta thank all of you- you've done this village great! Marxall will never forget the way you've saved us- and we're always ready to help you!"   
The red sun of Eternia beamed brightly over the saved village, of which every resident was high in celebration, safe in the knowledge that no matter what evil befell them- He-Man and the Masters of the Universe were always around to save them. 

In the centre of the great Eternian ocean, Faker awoke to see the bright red sun blazing down on him. Slowly and carefully, he picked himself up. And instantly, he sat down again as he realised he was adrift in a small, wooden boat, alone on the great ocean, with no land in sight. He recalled his dazed senses….. what had happened? Of course. He-Man. The hero of Eternia had defeated him once again, and had now cast him adrift, alone on the sea.   
And no doubt He-Man would think Faker was dead now, and wouldn't bother him again. How more wrong could he be. Faker cast his eyes across the ocean. He was lost, but he was not vulnerable. And he would not rest until he had finally defeated He-Man. He would have his revenge on this man, no matter how impossible it may seem.   
He got to his feet, and raised his arm to the skies, and shouted "It is not over yet, He-Man. You may have defeated me once again- but I will not give in! And no matter how far I am from mankind at this moment, I will find you!!!!! I will give you the worst challenge you will ever face when we next meet!!!!! I will search this entire planet for you- until I find you- and then you shall pay!!!!! I shall have my revenge!"   
"I SWEAR UPON THE BLOOD OF EVIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" 

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